Jihadist penetration of Pakistani armed forces may be deeper than feared

Jihadist penetration of Pakistani armed forces may be deeper than feared

BY AMIR MIR on JUNE 9, 2016 

ISLAMABAD–A Pakistani Navy tribunal’s recent awarding of death sentence to five officers for the September 6, 2014 terror attack on the Karachi Naval Dockyard points to the growing penetration of the Pakistani armed forces by radical elements including Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) launched by Dr Ayman Al Zawahiri.

While Pakistan’s military had been secular and disciplined, it is now being infiltrated at all levels by jihadists and al-Qaeda and Taliban sympathizers.

This obnoxious development has brought into open the conflicting ideologies which seem to have caused fissures in the ranks of the Pakistani armed forces by pitting Islamists against reformists.

The death sentence awarded to five officers proves that the fidayeen assault on the naval dockyard could not have been possible without “inside help.”

Those court-martialed and sentenced to death by the Navy tribunal after in-camera trials were Sub-Lieutenant Hammad Ahmed (whose father Saeed Ahmed is a retired Army Major), Irfan Ullah, Hashim Naseer, Mohammad Hammad and Arslan Nazeer.

The naval authorities concluded the court martial proceedings on April 12, 2016 and promulgated the judgment on April 14, 2016. Those arrested were tried on charges of inciting mutiny, hatching a conspiracy and carrying weapons in the naval dockyard.

The naval court reportedly refused to provide copies of trial proceedings to the family members of the convicted officers who want to challenge their death sentences. All the five officers had links with AQIS led by Commander Asim Umar who is an Indian national from the state of Uttar Pradesh.

The AQIS was launched by Al Zawahiri on September 3, 2014 and the dockyard attack was carried out three days later. AQIS spokesman, Usama Mahmood, claimed the attack by the group in his September 11 statement.

US and Indian navies the targets

The incident came as a big blow to the credibility of the Pakistani military which had received billions of dollars of US aid since 2001 when General Pervez Musharraf joined the US-led war against al-Qaeda.

The statement issued by AQIS spokesman identified their target as USS Supply, a US naval ship which is used to refuel warships at sea. It was part of a plan to strike at the American military strength on the seas.

In a nine-page press release, Mahmood said the targets were American and Indian Navies and the operation was carried out on the orders of Al Zawahiri.

The Pakistani military authorities took 20 months to convict those naval officers who had been indoctrinated by al-Qaeda and were part of the dockyard attack which killed four Navy officers, including two dissidents.

However, worries for the Pakistani military establishment are far from over.

The Washington Post reported on June 3, 2016 that AQIS is regrouping in Pakistan and re-adapting through enhanced alliances with established militant groups there.

The report said: “Five years after most senior al-Qaeda leaders are thought to have fled the port city, officials in Karachi worry that the organization is regrouping and finding new support here and in neighboring Afghanistan.

“They are especially concerned about the recruitment of potential foot soldiers for the next major terrorist attack. The resurgence has been managed by a South Asian offshoot called Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, created by the top al-Qaeda leader, Ayman Al Zawahiri, in 2014 in order to slow advances by rival Daesh (IS) militants in the region.”

Going by the Post report, the AQIS initially struggled to gain traction in Pakistan as it has been the principal target of US President Barack Obama’s drone-strike strategy in the country’s northwestern tribal belt.

“But AQIS is now finding its footing in southern Pakistan, powered by fresh recruits and budding alliances with other militant organizations. They are making a comeback of sort in the form of a different, more localized al-Qaeda. The formation of AQIS is again allowing al-Qaeda to tap into Karachi’s wealth and network of madrasas in search of recruits and technical expertise and sparking deadly clashes with the Pakistani security forces,” the report said.

“The core al-Qaeda, the thinkers and planners are not coming to the front right now, rather they are giving directions and the local boys are going in big numbers. While Pakistani officials remain confident that al-Qaeda can’t pull off another 9/11-style attack on the United States, there is concern that the group is planning something big,” it said.

In Karachi, the AQIS has divided itself into three operational segments — recruitment, financial and tactical — made up of four-to-six-person cells. The recruitment cells work in madrasas and schools, casually preaching Islam before targeting certain students for potential recruitment. These cells solicit local businesses for donations, often under the guise of supporting Islamic charities, officials said.

They have no estimate on how much money al-Qaeda raises from relatively wealthy Karachi but said militants are often found carrying hundreds of dollars in cash. Militants are being told they don’t need to do any job and they don’t need to indulge in petty crimes. But they should remain discreet.

The Washington Post story is alarming as al-Qaeda has targeted several military installations in Karachi in recent years.

Assault on PNS Mehran Naval base

The most damaging assault was carried out on May 22, 2011 when Taliban- and al-Qaeda-linked terrorists stormed the heavily-guarded PNS Mehran Naval base with sophisticated weapons and fired rocket-propelled grenades which badly damaged some important defense assets, including Pakistan Navy’s highly expensive surveillance aircraft P-3C Orion, worth more than $35 million.

The attack began around 10.30 pm and lasted for over 16 hours. Fifteen security forces personnel were killed in the gun battle while 15 others were critically injured. The attack was carried out with such precision that it must have taken months of planning and drills.

The attackers knew where to get in from and where to find the P-3C Orion. Such sensitive information could have only come from insiders. Unfortunately, there are a number of cases where those with links to the armed forces have been involved in attacks targeting the military.

The Pakistani authorities subsequently arrested an ex-commando of the Navy, Kamran Ahmed, and his younger brother, Zaman Ahmed, from Lahore for aiding the attack.

Kamran, who had joined the Navy in 1993 and was trained as a Special Services Group commando, was detained on charges of providing maps of the Mehran Naval base to the attackers. He was court-martialed and terminated in 2003 for assaulting a senior officer. The military court declared Kamran unfit for the job because of his extremist views.

A former medic of Pakistan Army, ‘Dr’ Usman aka Aqeel, was the ring leader of the 12 fidayeenattackers who stormed the General Headquarters (GHQ) in the garrison town of Rawalpindi in October 2009 and killed over two dozen people.

He was subsequently court-martialed and hanged.

Another dreaded jehadi, Adnan Rasheed, known for various terrorist acts including an attempt on General Pervez Musharraf’s life, was a former air force man before he turned his guns on the state.

Now affiliated with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Adnan was freed along along with 400 other inmates by Taliban militants when they stormed the Central Prison in the Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2012.

He later masterminded the Dera Ismail Khan jailbreak in August 2013, in which 175 prisoners were freed.

Attack on Karachi Naval Dockyard

The Karachi Naval Dockyard attack was carried out entirely by serving Navy personnel, along with Owais Jakharani, a former Navy cadet. Jakhrani, son of Assistant Inspector General of Karachi Police Ali Sher Jakhrani, was killed during the operation.

The mystery behind the attack was solved when AQIS spokesman Mahmood issued a statement denying reports that the fidayeen operation was carried out by “some intruders.”

He said some naval officers executed the operation to take control of a Pakistani Naval ship PNS Zulfiqar to launch missile attacks on US warships in the Indian Ocean, carrying eight C-802 surface to surface anti-ship missiles.

He said all the participants in the “fearless operation” were officers of the Pakistan Navy.  He described it as an act of rebellion against the Pakistani Navy by its own elements, striking at its policy of humiliation and subjugation to the United States.

He issued another statement on September 29, 2014, making public the name and picture of a Pakistan Navy officer, Second Lieutenant Zeeshan Rafeeq. He said the attack was to take control of two Pakistan Navy warships – PNS Zulfiqar and PNS Aslat – and use them for destroying an American oil tanker and an Indian warship.

The press release carried pictures of bearded Rafeeq and Jakhrani briefing “the leadership of the mujahideen on the Naval Dockyard operation.”

The statement said: “By the grace of Allah Almighty, the Mujahid brothers assumed control of both frigates. A firefight ensued with the officials of the Pakistan Navy. It lasted for several hours on both the warships. Due to this firefight with officials of the Pakistan Navy, the brothers were not able to fully execute the next part of their plan, namely the attack on American and Indian warships. Several soldiers and officers of Pakistan Navy were killed and injured while a number of our brothers attained martyrdom.”

Subsequent investigations by the Pakistani authorities revealed that Rafeeq was a serving Navy officer. He blew himself up after being surrounded by naval commandos.  Zeeshan acted in unison with Jakhrani before being killed in a gun battle with the Special Services Group (Navy) commandos.

Four more attackers, who had taken refuge in one of the compartments of the PNS Zulfiqar, were locked inside by the Navy commandos and arrested afterward. At least a dozen rogue Navy personnel were detained by the Pakistan Naval Intelligence based on the phone records of the attackers, including four aboard PNS Zulfiqar, for their alleged involvement in the dockyard attack.

In a follow up report pertaining to the dockyard attack, the Wall Street Journal, quoting a senior American official, claimed on September 17, 2014 that although al-Qaeda recruited within the Pakistani military, such occurrences were rare.

“Still, there have been several attacks on military facilities and personnel in Pakistan carried out with the help of serving and retired military personnel,” the report said.

Alert gunner foils plan

According to the report, during the attempt to seize PNS Zulfiqar, the rogue officers were in uniform and had their service cards displayed. They simply walked on board.The frigate was due to sail the same day to join an international naval flotilla in the Indian Ocean. However, the plan was foiled primarily by the alertness of PNS Zulfiqar’s gunner.

The militants, who were supposed to board PNS Zulfiqar, approached the docked ship in an inflatable boat, wearing Marine uniforms. The gunner felt they were too close and their weapons appeared to be AK-47s which are not standard Marine issue. The gunner turned his sights on them and fired a warning shot.

The militants, fearing the game was up, retaliated with rockets and automatic weapons. At the sound of the firing, Marines and naval commandos rushed to the ship and were engaged by the renegade officers awaiting the militants on the inflatable boat.

While those on board the ship continued to fight it out for a few hours, the ones in the inflatable boat had no chance. The gunner ripped apart the boat with his Gatling anti-aircraft gun, killing all six on board. The four rogue naval men were killed aboard the frigate.

The battle ended when the last surviving rogue naval officer, a young sub-lieutenant, blew himself up after being surrounded, the WSJ report concluded.

The specter of Islamist infiltration has haunted the Pakistani armed forces for decades. The creeping coup of conservatism in the armed forces is a legacy of the country’s third military dictator, General Zia-ul Haq, under whose command the state policies were cantered on Islam; religious sermons by fanatic mullahs in military units were encouraged and even Tableeghi Jamaat (the party of preachers) members were allowed to preach in the garrisons at will.

This drift within the armed forces was first revealed during Benazir Bhutto’s second tenure as Prime Minister in 1995 when a group of senior Army officers led by a serving Major General was busted while planning to topple the federal government in Islamabad and to eliminate the top military leadership to enforce Shariah in the country.

Attempts on Musharraf’s life

The arrests of dozens of commissioned and non-commissioned officers of the Pakistan Army and the Air Force in connection with the December 2003 twin assassination attempts targeting General Musharraf’s presidential cavalcade in Rawalpindi did not come as a surprise to many.

Subsequent investigations revealed that al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked militants had penetrated the Pakistan Army and Air Force units to preach their brand of jihad and recruit personnel to assassinate none other than their own army chief.

During investigation of the two assassination attempts that took the military investigators to Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Federally Administered Tribal Areas, about 150 suspects including four-dozen commissioned and non-commissioned personnel of the Army and the Air Force were questioned.

The investigators concluded that the attempts on Pervez Musharraf’s cavalcade (on December 14, and on December 25, 2003) were an exclusive job of over a dozen brainwashed-technicians of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) who lived in a residential facility nearby. They were directed, motivated and armed by a Pakistani contact person of al-Qaeda.

The investigation showed that the Air Intelligence, which is the intelligence wing of the Air Force, had no wind that its personnel — about two dozen at the Chaklala airbase — had been attending meetings with religious extremists and were making preparations at the Pakistan Air Force base to bomb the presidential motorcade.

The investigation also led to the arrest of civilian religious extremists, including three clerics involved in the indoctrination of the PAF technicians and planning of attacks. A small group of religious extremists who had supplied the C4 explosives to the Air Force technicians and the suicide bombers were also arrested.

The investigation team, headed by Pakistan’s former Army Chief General Ashfaq Kiyani, who was a lieutenant general at that time, was shocked to learn that the Air Force technicians spent two days making several trips beneath the Lai Bridge to strap large quantities of the C4 explosives to the pillars of the bridge, all without being noticed either by the police or the Military Intelligence, which was supposed to keep an eye on this presidential route.

Almost 13 years after these attacks, with General Musharraf gone overseas and al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden killed, there are strong indications that Islamic extremists remain within the lower ranks of the Pakistani armed forces and are involved in several deadly terrorist attacks targeting important military installations.

This raises the billion dollar question: Is the jihadi penetration of the Pakistani armed forces deeper than feared?

Amir Mir is a senior Pakistani journalist known for his research work on Islamic militancy and terrorism in Pakistan. He has authored several books including “Talibanization of Pakistan: From 9/11 to 26/11,” “The Bhutto Murder Trail: From Waziristan to GHQ,” “The True Face of Jehadis” and “The Fluttering Flag of Jehad.”

(Copyright 2016 Asia Times Holdings Limited, a duly registered Hong Kong company. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.)

http://atimes.com/2016/06/jihadist-penetration-of-pakistani-armed-forces-may-be-deeper-than-feared/

China’s Silk Road may not be that silky

China’s Silk Road may not be that silky

BY SALMAN RAFI on JUNE 8, 2016   ASIA TIMES NEWS & FEATURES

The argument that China’s Silk Road is about transforming some of the most forgotten regions of the world into vibrant and growing new economic spaces needs to be critically examined, especially with regard to its political and strategic repercussions

Investments worth billions of dollars notwithstanding, China’s Silk Road projects come with a political baggage and are creating problems in countries that are currently cheering about it.

Baluch nationalists disagree with Islamabad’s view that China-led development can lead to peace and prosperity in the most restive region of Pakistan

Militarization of the erstwhile politically unstable regions and uneven development across them are the two most important outcomes of these projects. These two issues are likely to shatter the myth over the huge success “of the Road.”

While certain political and economic repercussions are certain, the Silk Road is in trouble due to China’s inability to finance all of the projects it has announced.

Some infrastructure projects have already come to a standstill. For example, the gas pipeline project known as “Power of Siberia,” the subject of an agreement signed by Russia and China in May 2015, is on the verge of collapse. Besides, the release of funds for the construction of the Altai gas pipeline to connect western Siberia and China has been delayed indefinitely.

China’s huge domestic high-speed rail system covering 19,000 km of track and hauling more than 2.5 million daily riders is deeply in debt. Its railways extending into Central Asia and other regions may also be in debt.

Some link these problems to China’s growth rate. Chinese officials continue to assure the target countries that its slow economic growth would not impact its economic commitments to them. However, in March, they acknowledged that it is difficult to keep the country’s economic growth rate at 6.5% over the next five years while pushing hard to create more jobs and restructure state-owned enterprises.

Xu Shanda, a retired Chinese deputy director of the State Administration of Taxation, said in an online posting almost a month ago: “In previous years, China made large investments in the energy sector. Looking at it now, these investments were useful in ensuring energy supplies, though financial losses were large. If we do not go this route, external demand will shrink, which will put tremendous pressure on domestic production and exacerbate the overcapacity problem. So, despite the difficulties, we need to stick to this overseas economic strategy.”

But focus on overseas strategy creates problems. While China is trying to channelize its domestic production to overseas markets, outside regions have to deal with China’s acquisition of their assets. For instance, in Kazakhstan, Chinese companies own somewhere between one-fifth and one-quarter of the country’s oil production — about the same proportion as the national oil company, putting China’s stakes at par with the state’s own interests.

On December 17, a group of Chinese companies visiting Kazakhstan signed a number of major agreements with the world’s largest uranium producer. CGN Mining, a listed subsidiary of China General Nuclear Power Corporation, took a “minority stake” in Kazakh uranium deposits.

China’s CEFC Energy bought a 51% share in a subsidiary of Kazakh state oil and gas firm KazMunayGaz, which operates refineries and gas stations as well as fertilizer plants across Europe. And China National Chemical Engineering agreed to construct a natural gas-fueled chemical complex in Kazakhstan.

This way, will not China have a say in directing Kazakhstan’s economic policies?

Such a scenario will lead to conflicts of interest.

That China owns assets in the target countries does not necessarily mean that China has actually bought those assets. Ownership often stems from a policy that aims at forcing the target countries to play by China’s financial rules, which can be onerous. Many developing countries, in exchange for loans, pay steep interest rates and give up the rights to their natural resources for years. China has a lock on nearly 90% of Ecuador’s oil exports, which mostly go to paying off its loans.

The issue can be further highlighted.

Sarah Lain and Raffaello Pantucci, writing for the British think tank Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies, said: “Much of the historical bilateral projects have been funded through linked loans, where China provides the funding through loans that have stipulations attached to them, such as the requirement that Chinese companies implement the projects on the ground. In other cases where China’s Exim bank or the Silk Road Economic Belt CDB has provided loans to fund projects, it is unclear whether there are any short- or medium-term returns or even security on the investment.”

Pakistan’s example

It is this “concern” of increasing political ingress that is likely to off-set the “bright” prospects of “the road” passing through Pakistan.

Pakistani sources say the government will place almost 60,000 additional troops in restive Baluchistan to ensure protection of China’s Silk Road. This increased militarization will certainly add fuel to the fire. One of the most important demands of Baluch separatists for engaging in peace talks with Islamabad is demilitarization.

Placement of additional troops to protect China’s interests, therefore, runs counter to the resolution of the ethno-national conflict. Many Baluch nationalists who are politically active in Pakistan tend to describe this “development” as “accumulation by dispossession” and “dispossession by militarization.”

The crucial question, therefore, is: Will China-led development, which includes hundreds of miles long roads, create peace in the most restive region of Pakistan? When such a question is posed to a nationalist, he does not seem to agree with the official narrative.

Roads, he argues, are to be used for transporting goods and for military mobilization too. How would military mobilization contribute to peace? It never has in the history of Pakistan.

Uneven distribution of projects, nationalists argue, is reinforcing regional disparities in Pakistan, thus encouraging ethno-national movements in Baluchistan and Sindh.

Hence the argument that China’s Silk Road is about transforming one of the previously most forgotten regions of the world into a vibrant and growing new economic space needs to be critically examined, especially with regard to its political and strategic repercussions.

An overwhelming focus on “economic benefits” tends to divert our attention away from questioning its actual potential as well as the notion of “mutually beneficial” projects. The “Silk Road” and its benefits need to be quantified as well as qualified.

Salman Rafi Sheikh is a freelance journalist and research analyst of international relations and Pakistan affairs. His area of interest is South and West Asian politics, the foreign policies of major powers, and Pakistani politics. He can be reached at salmansheikh.ss11.sr@gmail.com

(Copyright 2016 Asia Times Holdings Limited, a duly registered Hong Kong company. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.)

http://atimes.com/2016/06/chinas-silk-road-may-not-be-that-silky-after-all/

JOINT STATEMENT - The United States and India - Enduring Global Partners in the 21st Century

JOINT STATEMENT - The United States and India - Enduring Global Partners in the 21st Century

1) The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and the President of the United States of America Barack Obama met today in the White House during an official working visit of Prime Minister Modi to the United States.  Marking their third major bilateral summit, the leaders reviewed the deepening strategic partnership between the United States and India that is rooted in shared values of freedom, democracy, universal human rights, tolerance and pluralism, equal opportunities for all citizens, and rule of law. They pledged to pursue new opportunities to bolster economic growth and sustainable development, promote peace and security at home and around the world, strengthen inclusive, democratic governance and respect for universal human rights, and provide global leadership on issues of shared interest.  

2) The leaders welcomed the significant progress made in bilateral relations between India and the United States during their tenure, in accordance with the roadmaps set out in the Joint Statements issued during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the United States in September 2014 and President Obama’s visit to India in January 2015. The leaders affirmed the increasing convergence in their strategic perspectives and emphasized the need to remain closely invested in each other’s security and prosperity.  

Advancing U.S.-India Global Leadership on Climate and Clean Energy

3) The steps that the two Governments have taken in the last two years through the U.S.-India Contact Group, including by addressing the nuclear liability issue, inter alia, through India’s ratification of the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage, have laid a strong foundation for a long-term partnership between U.S. and Indian companies for building nuclear power plants in India. Culminating a decade of partnership on civil nuclear issues, the leaders welcomed the start of preparatory work on site in India for six AP 1000 reactors to be built by Westinghouse and noted the intention of India and the U.S. Export-Import Bank to work together toward a competitive financing package for the project. Once completed, the project would be among the largest of its kind, fulfilling the promise of the U.S.-India civil nuclear agreement and demonstrating a shared commitment to meet India’s growing energy needs while reducing reliance on fossil fuels.  Both sides welcomed the announcement by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, and Westinghouse that engineering and site design work will begin immediately and the two sides will work toward finalizing the contractual arrangements by June 2017.  

4) The United States and India share common climate and clean energy interests and are close partners in the fight against climate change. Leadership from both countries helped galvanize global action to combat climate change and culminated in the historic Paris Agreement reached last December. Both countries are committed to working together and with others to promote full implementation of the Paris Agreement to address the urgent threats posed by climate change. India and the United States recognize the urgency of climate change and share the goal of enabling entry into force of the Paris Agreement as early as possible. The United States reaffirms its commitment to join the Agreement as soon as possible this year. India similarly has begun its processes to work toward this shared objective. The leaders reiterated their commitment to pursue low greenhouse gas emission development strategies in the pre-2020 period and to develop long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies. In addition, the two countries resolved to work to adopt an HFC amendment in 2016 with increased financial support from donor countries to the Multilateral Fund to help developing countries with implementation, and an ambitious phasedown schedule, under the Montreal Protocol pursuant to the Dubai Pathway. The leaders resolved to work together at the upcoming International Civil Aviation Organization Assembly to reach a successful outcome to address greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation. Further, the two countries will pursue under the leadership of the G20 strong outcomes to promote improved heavy-duty vehicle standards and efficiency in accordance with their national priorities and capabilities.  

5) The leaders welcomed the signing of an MOU to Enhance Cooperation on Energy Security, Clean Energy and Climate Change, and an MOU on Cooperation in Gas Hydrates.  

6) Reflecting Prime Minister Modi’s call to embrace wildlife conservation as a development imperative, the leaders welcomed the signing of an MOU to enhance cooperation on Wildlife Conservation and Combating Wildlife Trafficking.  

Clean Energy Finance

7) The United States supports the Government of India’s ambitious national goals to install 175 GW of renewable power which includes 100 GW from solar power.   

8) The United States welcomes the launch of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), recognizes the critical role it can play in the development and deployment of solar power, and intends pursuing membership in the ISA. To this end, and to strengthen ISA together, the United States and India will jointly launch the third Initiative of the ISA which will focus on off-grid solar for energy access at the Founding Conference of ISA in September, 2016 in India. The United States also remains committed, with other developed countries, to the goal of jointly mobilizing $100 billion per year by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation and adaptation action.  

9) The United States is committed to bring to bear its technical capacity, resources and private sector, and is jointly launching with India new efforts, to spur greater investment in India’s renewable energy sector, including efforts that can serve as a model for other ISA Member Countries. In particular, the United States and India today are announcing: the creation of a $20 million U.S.-India Clean Energy Finance (USICEF) initiative, equally supported by the United States and India, which is expected to mobilize up to $400 million to provide clean and renewable electricity to up to 1 million households by 2020; a commitment to establish the U.S.-India Clean Energy Hub as the coordinating mechanism to focus United States Government efforts that, in partnership with leading Indian financial institutions, will increase renewable energy investment in India; a $40 million U.S.- India Catalytic Solar Finance Program, equally supported by the United States and India, that, by providing needed liquidity to smaller-scale renewable energy investments, particularly in poorer, rural villages that are not connected to the grid, could mobilize up to $1 billion of projects; the expansion of handholding support to Indian utilities that are scaling up rooftop solar and continuation of successful cooperation with USAID on “Greening the Grid”. 

10) The United States and India also remain committed to the goals of Mission Innovation, which they jointly launched during COP-21 in Paris to double their respective clean energy research and development (R&D) investment in five years. Toward this end, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate on research and development, including through the announcement of an upcoming $30 million public-private research effort in smart grid and grid storage.   

Strengthening Global Nonproliferation

11)  The President thanked the Prime Minister for his substantive contribution to and active participation in 2016 Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C., and welcomed his offer to host a Summit on Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism in 2018.   The United States and India will work together to combat the threat of terrorists accessing and using chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological materials.  

12) Recalling their shared commitment to preventing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, the leaders looked forward to India’s imminent entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime. President Obama welcomed India’s application to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), and re-affirmed that India is ready for membership. The United States called on NSG Participating Governments to support India’s application when it comes up at the NSG Plenary later this month.  The United States also re-affirmed its support for India’s early membership of the Australia Group and Wassenaar Arrangement.  

Securing the Domains: Land, Maritime, Air, Space, and Cyber

13) The leaders applauded the completion of a roadmap for cooperation under the 2015 U.S.-India Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region, which will serve as a guide for collaboration in the years to come. They resolved that the United States and India should look to each other as priority partners in the Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean region.   

14) They welcomed the inaugural meeting of the Maritime Security Dialogue. Owing to mutual interest in maritime security and maritime domain awareness, the leaders welcomed the conclusion of a technical arrangement for sharing of maritime “White Shipping” information.  

15) The leaders affirmed their support for U.S.-India cooperation in promoting maritime security. They reiterated the importance they attach to ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight and exploitation of resources as per international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and settlement of territorial disputes by peaceful means.  

16) The leaders applauded the enhanced military to military cooperation between the two countries especially in joint exercises, training and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR). They expressed their desire to explore agreements which would facilitate further expansion of bilateral defense cooperation in practical ways. In this regard, they welcomed the finalization of the text of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA).

17) Noting that the U.S.-India defense relationship can be an anchor of stability, and given the increasingly strengthened cooperation in defense, the United States hereby recognizes India as a Major Defense Partner.  As such:

·         The United States will continue to work toward facilitating technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners. The leaders reached an understanding under which India would receive license-free access to a wide range of dual-use technologies in conjunction with steps that India has committed to take to advance its export control objectives.

·         In support of India’s Make In India initiative, and to support the development of robust defense industries and their integration into the global supply chain, the United States will continue to facilitate the export of goods and technologies, consistent with U.S. law, for projects, programs and joint ventures in support of official U.S.-India defense cooperation.   

18) The leaders also committed to enhance cooperation in support of the Government of India’s Make In India Initiative and expand the co-production and co-development of technologies under the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI).  They welcomed the establishment of new DTTI working groups to include agreed items covering  Naval Systems, Air Systems, and other Weapons Systems. The leaders announced the finalization of the text of an Information Exchange Annex under the Joint Working Group on Aircraft Carrier Technology Cooperation.  

19) President Obama thanked Prime Minister Modi for his government’s support for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) missions in India, including a recovery mission that resulted in the recent repatriation of remains of the United States Service Members missing since the Second World War. The leaders announced their commitment to future DPAA‎ missions.  

20) As space faring nations, India and the United States acknowledge that outer space should be an ever expanding frontier of human endeavour, and look forward to deepening their cooperation on earth observation, Mars exploration, space education and manned space flight. The leaders welcomed the progress toward establishment of an ISRO-NASA  Heliophysics Working Group as well as toward finalization of a Memorandum of Understanding for exchange of earth observation satellite data.  

21) The leaders emphasized that cyberspace enables economic growth and development, and reaffirmed their commitment to an open, interoperable, secure, and reliable Internet, underpinned by the multistakeholder model of Internet governance.  They committed to deepen cooperation on cybersecurity and welcomed the understanding reached to finalize the Framework for the U.S.-India Cyber Relationship in the near term.  They committed to enhance cyber collaboration on critical infrastructure, cybercrime, and malicious cyber activity by state and non-state actors, capacity building, and cybersecurity research and development, and to continue discussions on all aspects of trade in technology and related services, including market access.  They have committed to continue dialogue and engagement in Internet governance fora, including in ICANN, IGF and other venues, and to support active participation by all stakeholders of the two countries in these fora. The leaders committed to promote stability in cyberspace based on the applicability of international law including the United Nations Charter, the promotion of voluntary norms of responsible state behavior during peacetime, and the development and implementation of practical confidence building measures between states.  

22) In this context, they affirmed their commitment to the voluntary norms that no country should conduct or knowingly support online activity that intentionally damages critical infrastructure or otherwise impairs the use of it to provide services to the public; that no country should conduct or knowingly support activity intended to prevent national computer security incident response teams from responding to cyber incidents, or use its own teams to enable online activity that is intended to do harm; that every country should cooperate, consistent with its domestic law and international obligations, with requests for assistance from other states in mitigating malicious cyber activity emanating from its territory; and that no country should conduct or knowingly support ICT-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business information, with the intent of providing competitive advantages to its companies or commercial sectors.  

Standing Together Against Terrorism and Violent Extremism

23) The leaders acknowledged the continued threat posed to human civilization by terrorism and condemn the recent terrorist incidents from Paris to Pathankot, from Brussels to Kabul. They resolved to redouble their efforts, bilaterally and with other like-minded countries, to bring to justice the perpetrators of terrorism anywhere in the world and the infrastructure that supports them.  

24) Building on the January 2015 U.S.-India Joint Statement commitment to make the U.S.-India partnership a defining counterterrorism relationship for the 21st Century, as well as the September 2015 U.S.-India Joint Declaration on Combatting Terrorism,  the leaders announced further steps to deepen collaboration against the full spectrum of terrorist threats.  

25) The leaders committed to strengthen cooperation against terrorist threats from extremist groups, such as Al-Qa’ida, Da’esh/ISIL, Jaish-e Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, D Company and their affiliates, including through deepened collaboration on UN terrorist designations. In this context, they directed their officials to identify specific new areas of collaboration at the next meeting of U.S.–India Counterterrorism Joint Working Group.  

26) Recognizing an important milestone in the U.S.-India counterterrorism partnership, the leaders applauded the finalization of an arrangement to facilitate the sharing of terrorist screening information. They also called for Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot terrorist attacks to justice.  

27) The leaders affirmed their support for a UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism that advances and strengthens the framework for global cooperation and reinforces that no cause or grievance justifies terrorism.  

Bolstering Economic and Trade Ties

28) The leaders highlighted the strong and expanding economic relationship between the United States and India and committed to support sustainable, inclusive, and robust economic growth, and common efforts to stimulate consumer demand, job creation, skill development and innovation in their respective countries.  

29) In order to substantially increase bilateral trade, they pledged to explore new opportunities to break down barriers to the movement of goods and services, and support deeper integration into global supply chains, thereby creating jobs and generating prosperity in both economies. They look forward to the second annual Strategic and Commercial Dialogue in India later this year to identify concrete steps in this regard. They also commended the increased engagement on trade and investment issues under the Trade Policy Forum (TPF) and encouraged substantive results for the next TPF later this year. They welcomed the engagement of U.S. private sector companies in India’s Smart City program.  

30) The leaders applauded the strong bonds of friendship between the 1.5 billion peoples of India and the United States that have provided a solid foundation for a flourishing bilateral partnership, noting that two-way travel for tourism, business, and education has seen unprecedented growth, including more than one million travelers from India to the United States in 2015, and similar number from the United States to India.The leaders resolved to facilitate greater movement of professionals, investors and business travelers, students, and exchange visitors between their countries to enhance people-to-people contact as well as their economic and technological partnership.  To this end, they welcomed the signing of an MOU for Development of an International Expedited Traveler Initiative (also known as the Global Entry Program) and resolved to complete within the next three months the procedures for India’s entry into the Global Entry Program. 

31) The leaders recognized the fruitful exchanges in August 2015 and June 2016 on the elements required in both countries to pursue a U.S.-India Totalization Agreement and resolved to continue discussions later this year.  

32) Recognizing the importance of fostering an enabling environment for innovation and empowering entrepreneurs, the United States welcomes India’s hosting of the 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Summit.  

33) The leaders welcomed the enhanced engagement on intellectual property rights under the High Level Working Group on Intellectual Property and reaffirmed their commitment to use this dialogue to continue to make concrete progress on IPR issues by working to enhance bilateral cooperation among the drivers of innovation and creativity in both countries. 

34) The United States welcomes India’s interest in joining the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, as India is a dynamic part of the Asian economy.  

Expanding Cooperation: Science & Technology and Health

35) The leaders affirmed their nations’ mutual support in exploring the most fundamental principles of science as embodied in the arrangement reached to cooperate on building a Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) in India in the near future and welcomed the formation of the India-U.S. Joint Oversight Group to facilitate agency coordination of funding and oversight of the project. 

36) The leaders look forward to India’s participation at the September 2016 Our Ocean Conference in Washington, D.C. as well as holding of the first India-U.S. Oceans Dialogue later this year, to strengthen cooperation in marine science, ocean energy, managing and protecting ocean biodiversity, marine pollution, and sustainable use of ocean resources.  

37) The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Global Health Security Agenda and the timely implementation of its objectives.  The Prime Minister noted India's role on the Steering Group and its leadership in the areas of anti-microbial resistance and immunization. The President noted the United States’ commitment to support, undergo, and share a Joint External Evaluation in collaboration with the World Health Organization. 

38) The leaders recognized the global threat posed by multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and committed to continue collaboration in the area of tuberculosis and to share respective best practices.   

39) The leaders noted the growing threat of non-communicable diseases and the urgent need to address the risk factors by, inter alia, promoting healthy lifestyles, controlling sugar and salt intake, promoting physical activity especially among children and youth and strengthening efforts to curb tobacco use. The leaders also reiterated the importance of holistic approaches to health and wellness, and of promoting the potential benefits of holistic approaches by synergizing modern and traditional systems of medicine, including Yoga. 

40) The leaders strongly endorsed expansion of the Indo-U.S. Vaccine Action Program, which is fostering public-private research partnerships focused on the development and evaluation of vaccines to prevent tuberculosis, dengue, chikungunya and other globally important infectious diseases.  

Global Leadership

41) The leaders reaffirmed their resolve to continue working together as well as with the wider international community to augment the capacity of the United Nations to more effectively address the global development and security challenges. With the historic adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015, and recognizing its universality, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to implement this ambitious agenda domestically and internationally and work in a collaborative partnership for the effective achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.  

42) The leaders reaffirmed their support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member. Both sides committed to ensuring that the Security Council continues to play an effective role in maintaining international peace and security as envisioned in the UN Charter. The leaders are committed to continued engagement on Security Council reform in the UN Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council Reform.  

43) The leaders welcomed the successful convening of the Leaders’ Summit on UN Peacekeeping and committed to deepening engagement on UN peacekeeping capacity-building efforts in third countries, through co-organizing the first UN Peacekeeping Course for African Partners in New Delhi later this year for participants from ten countries in Africa. The leaders also reiterated their support for ongoing reform efforts to strengthen UN peacekeeping operations.  

44) Building on their respective bilateral engagements with Africa, such as the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit and India-Africa Forum Summit, the leaders reflected that the United States and India share a common interest in working with partners in Africa to promote prosperity and security across the continent.  The leaders welcomed trilateral cooperation with African partners, including in areas such as agriculture, health, energy, women's empowerment and sanitation under the Statement of Guiding Principles on Triangular Cooperation for Global Development. They looked forward to opportunities to deepen the U.S.-India global development cooperation in Africa, as well as in Asia and beyond.  

Building People-to-People Ties

45) Both sides committed to open additional consulates in each other’s country. India will be opening a new consulate in Seattle and the United States will open a new consulate at a mutually agreed location in India.  

46) The leaders announced that the United States and India will be Travel and Tourism Partner Countries for 2017, and committed to facilitate visas for each other’s nationals. 

47) Reflecting on the strong educational and cultural bonds between the two countries, the leaders welcomed the growing number of Indian students studying in the United States, which increased by 29 percent to nearly 133,000 students in 2014-2015, and looked forward to increased opportunities for American students to study in India. The leaders also appreciated their governments’ joint efforts through the Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship to develop a cohort of climate scientists to confront the shared challenge of global climate change.  

48) Recognizing its mutual goal of strengthening greater people-to-people ties, the leaders intend to renew efforts to intensify dialogue to address issues affecting the citizens of both countries that arise due to differences in the approaches of legal systems, including issues relating to cross-country marriage, divorce and child custody.  

49) Prime Minister Modi welcomed the United States repatriation of antiquities to India. The leaders also committed to redouble their efforts to combat the theft and trafficking of cultural objects.  

50) Prime Minister Modi thanked President Obama for his gracious invitation and warmth of hospitality.  He extended an invitation for President Obama to visit India at his convenience.  

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/06/07/joint-statement-united-states-and-india-enduring-global-partners-21st

Five things PM Modi wants out of his trip to the US, BY NIHARIKA MANDHANA

Five things PM Modi wants out of his trip to the US, BY NIHARIKA MANDHANA

6 JUN 2016

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Washington Monday for his second White House meeting in as many years.

If his first, in September 2014, was aimed at moving past the diplomatic and policy irritants that had overshadowed Indo-U.S. ties, his second, which comes just months before President Barack Obama leaves office, seeks to consolidate the gains the relationship has since notched up.

Mr. Modi’s packed three-day itinerary offers clues about what the Indian prime minister is looking for and points to the priorities in the gradually-deepening ties between the world’s largest democracies.

·         1Promote India

Among the highlights of Mr. Modi’s visit is a speech he is set to deliver at a joint meeting of the two houses of Congress. It is an honor that fulfills one of Mr. Modi’s perennial goals on his frequent overseas trips: boosting India’s global image. From high-profile addresses in jam-packed concert stadiums and sports arenas to persuading the U.N. to declare an international yoga day, Mr. Modi has sought to put a spotlight on his country. He will be the first world leader to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives this year and the fifth Indian prime minister to do so.

·         2Join the Nuclear Suppliers Group

India wants to be a member of this 48-nation group that controls trade in nuclear fuel and technology and it is looking for U.S. help to bring other members around. China and some other nations don’t support India’s entry, saying New Delhi hasn’t complied with an important precondition: signing the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Washington used its diplomatic weight to help India win exemptions from NSG rules once before, in 2008, to enable a landmark civil nuclear deal between the two countries. Mr. Modi is hoping the U.S., which has openly backed India’s membership bid, will lobby for it again. “This is what friends do for each other,” Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar said at a news conference Friday.

·         3Win Some Investment

On his visits to the U.S., including one last year when he met with Silicon Valley’s biggest names, Mr. Modi has sought investment to fuel India’s growth. He has touted a more business-friendly environment in India since his election and his easing of foreign-direct investment restrictions in sectors such as insurance, defense and railways. Mr. Modi is scheduled to meet with and address U.S. business leaders on this trip too. He will focus on drawing solid commitments to advance his government’s flagship development programs designed to boost manufacturing, build smart cities and expand digital infrastructure, Mr. Jaishankar said.

·         4Strengthen Defense Ties

Mr. Modi is also set to meet U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter. Mr. Carter has pushed India to increase its purchases of U.S. military equipment and sign pacts to boost cooperation between the countries’ armed forces, signaling closer strategic relations. The two announced their “in principle” understanding on one such pact—a logistics-support agreement to facilitate each country’s access to the other’s bases for replenishment and repair—in April. That may be finalized on Mr. Modi’s visit. Washington wants India to sign another pact for the transfer of advanced communication equipment and a third to allow digital mapping. Top-ranking U.S. officials have also urged greater security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, hinting at joint patrols. But this is an idea few in New Delhi are considering seriously as India remains wary of being drawn into a U.S.-led strategic alliance.

·         5Have Climate-Change Conversations

Mssrs. Obama and Modi are expected to revisit a subject that has been thecenterpiece of their relationship over the past two years: climate change. The U.S. is in discussions with Indian officials about New Delhi’s timeline toformally join the Paris agreement, signed last year to curb the impact of global warming. An Indian official with knowledge of the matter said that while India stands behind the deal, it is still trying to gauge the U.S.’s commitment to helping developing countries with financing and clean-energy technology. Andrew Light, a distinguished senior fellow at the Washington-based World Resources Institute wrote in a recent online article that India and the U.S. should join the deal soon to “demonstrate that two countries that have historically been at odds in the U.N. climate negotiations have shifted that dynamic, and are committed to the success of the new agreement.”

http://blogs.wsj.com/briefly/2016/06/06/5-things-indian-prime-minister-narendra-modi-wants-out-of-his-trip-to-the-u-s/?mod=e2twi

Pakistan not taking action against LeT and Haqqani network, United States

Pakistan not taking action against LeT and Haqqani network, United States

Last Updated: Friday, June 3, 2016 - 02:52

Washington: Terrorist safe havens not only continue to exist in the tribal areas of Pakistan, but also militants are able to openly raise funds from heavily populated areas, the US on Thursday said alleging that Islamabad is not taking action against terror groups like Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

As a result, Pakistan-based terrorist groups continue to conduct terrorist attacks inside India and Afghanistan, the State Department said in its annual 'Country Reports on Terrorism ? 2015', which is mandated by Congress.

"In 2015, an assortment of terrorist groups, to include the Haqqani Network, attempted to hide in or operate from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, a mountainous region along Pakistan?s northwest border with Afghanistan," the State Department said.

It said some UN-designated terrorist groups, such as Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) affiliates Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation, were able to raise funds and hold rallies in Pakistan.

LeT and JuD leader, Hafiz Saeed, who is also a UN-designated terrorist, was able to make frequent public appearances in support of the organization's objectives, which were covered by the Pakistani media, for much of the year.

"In September, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Agency prohibited media coverage of LeT and affiliated groups, although the groups continued to recruit and operate around the country. Despite JuD and FiF's proscription under UN sanctions regimes, the Pakistani government affirmed in December that neither organization was banned in Pakistan," the State Department said.

India, the State Department said continued to experience terrorist attacks, including operations launched by Maoist insurgents and transnational groups based in Pakistan.

Indian authorities continued to blame Pakistan for cross-border attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.

In July, India experienced a terrorist attack in Gurdaspur, Punjab; the first in Punjab state since the 1990s, the report said.

Over the course of 2015, the Indian government sought to deepen counterterrorism cooperation with the US.

President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued to prioritize counterterrorism cooperation during Obama's visit to India in January and Modi's visit to Washington in September.

The Indian government closely monitored the domestic threat from IS and other terrorist organisations, it said.

The State Department said Pakistan is slow in taking action against 2008 Mumbai attack perpetrators.

"Anti-Terrorism Courts had limited procedures for obtaining or admitting foreign evidence. The trial of seven suspects accused in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack was ongoing at year's end, with many witnesses for the prosecution remaining to be called by the court," it said.

"Security concerns and procedural issues resulted in a slow pace of trial proceedings," the State Department said.

In December 2014, the court granted bail to the lead defendant, alleged Mumbai attack planner and LeT operational commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi.

Lakhvi was released from prison on bail in April 2015 and the government of Pakistan reports he remained under house arrest at the end of 2015, it added.

According to the State Department, money transfer systems persisted throughout much of Pakistan, especially along the border with Afghanistan, and may be abused by drug traffickers and terrorist financiers operating in the cross-border area.

While Pakistani authorities did report having frozen assets of UN-designated entities during 2015, the amount was unclear.

The US government was not informed of any successful terrorism financing prosecutions in 2015.  

PTI

First Published: Friday, June 3, 2016 - 02:52

http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/pakistan-not-taking-action-against-let-haqqani-network-united-states_1891203.html